Dairy moves to reusable glass bottles to cut down on plastic

Dairy moves to reusable glass bottles to cut down on plastic

Two new milk-vending machines are now operational at the Co-op Grand Marché store in St Helier. Their first vending machine opened at the farm in St Peter in April.

Islanders wishing to buy Classic Herd milk now must purchase a reusable glass bottle and fill it up from one of the vending machines. Glass bottles cost £2.50 and can be reused indefinitely and cleaned in hot water or a dishwasher.

Classic Herd milk costs £1.30 a litre compared to £1.16 for Jersey Dairy’s, which is sold in Tetra Pak that cannot be recycled.

The move, the Co-op say, has taken 500 plastic bottles off their Grand Marché shelves a week. Carl Winn, head of marketing for the Co-Op, said the initiative was something members wanted and supported the retailers’ ‘green credentials’.

Darren Quénault, Classic Herd co-owner, said he hoped the new packaging would attract a different type of customer who was conscious about the environment.

‘I think it tastes better out of glass too,’ he added.

Julia Quénault, co-owner, said since the vending machine had opened in St Peter they had sold 18,000 litres of milk from it. She added that depending on the success of the machines in Grand Marché they may look to roll-out more, perhaps at the Co-op’s Charing Cross store.

Classic Herd announced earlier this year that it was cutting down its operations and reducing its herd from 80, at its height, to 30. Cheese and yoghurt production has already ceased.

Between Monday and Wednesday more than 180 litres of Classic Herd milk had been sold from the new Co-op vending machines.

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